Selection of a Nicotiana plumbaginifolia universal hybridizer and its use in intergeneric somatic hybrid formation

Summary A Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cell strain carrying a positive (dominant) trait, resistance to azetidine-2-carboxylate (A2C), was selected in strain NX1 which lacked nitrate reductase activity (a negative or recessive trait). This universal hybridizer strain, denoted NXA^r, was fused with dextran to a Daucus carota strain, PR, which carried glyphosate (GLP) resistance. A large number of hybrids were selected in a medium with NO ₃ ^- as the sole nitrogen source and A2C as inhibitor, conditions which prevent the growth of both parents. When the selected colonies were then tested for GLP resistance, 93% carried this trait. In addition the hybrid nature was indicated by additive chromosome numbers, both A2C and GLP resistance in suspension cultures, intermediate nitrate reductase activity and the presence of banding patterns for three isozymes which match those of the parents. Southern hybridization analysis using an enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) probe, pMON 6145, also showed the presence of the gene from both parents in the hybrid strains based on restriction length polymorphisms. The PR strain contains increased levels of EPSPS which confers GLP^r due to gene amplification. Since the universal hybridizer can be used as a fusion partner with any wild-type line many protoplast fusion studies can be carried out easily.Abbreviations A2C azetidine-2-carboxylate - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - EPSPS 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase - GLP glyphosate - HAT hypoxanthine, aminopterin, glycine and thymidine medium - IDH isocitrate dehydrogenase - MDH malate dehydrogenase - 5MT 5-methyltryptophan - NBT nitroblue tetrazolium - PGI phosphoglucoisomerase - SDS sodium dodecylsulfate     

Characterization and directed evolution of BliGO,a novel glycine oxidase from Bacillus licheniformis

Glycine oxidase (GO) has great potential for use in biosensors, industrial catalysis and agricultural biotechnology. In this study, a novel GO (BliGO) from a marine bacteria Bacillus licheniformis was cloned and characterized. BliGO showed 62% similarity to the well-studied GO from Bacillus subtilis. The optimal activity of BliGO was observed at pH 8.5 and 40 °C. Interestingly, BliGO retained 60% of the maximum activity at 0 °C, suggesting it is a cold-adapted enzyme. The kinetic parameters on glyphosate (K_m, k_cat and k_cat/K_m) of BliGO were 11.22 mM, 0.08 s⁻¹, and 0.01 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. To improve the catalytic activity to glyphosate, the BliGO was engineered by directed evolution. With error-prone PCR and two rounds of DNA shuffling, the most evolved mutant SCF-4 was obtained from 45,000 colonies, which showed 7.1- and 8-fold increase of affinity (1.58 mM) and catalytic efficiency (0.08 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹) to glyphosate, respectively. In contrast, its activity to glycine (the natural substrate of GO) decreased by 113-fold. Structure modeling and site-directed mutation study indicated that Ser51 in SCF-4 involved in the binding of enzyme with glyphosate and played a crucial role in the improvement of catalytic efficiency.     

The purification of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase from an overproducing strain of Escherichia coli

The Escherichia coli aroA gene which codes for the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase) has been cloned from the lambda-transducing bacteriophage lambda pserC. The gene has been located on a 4.7 kilobase pair PstI DNA fragment which has been inserted into the multiple copy plasmid pAT153. E. coli cells transformed with this recombinant plasmid overproduce EPSP synthase 100-fold. A simple method for the purification of homogeneous enzyme in milligram quantities has been devised. The resulting enzyme is indistinguishable from enzyme isolated from untransformed E. coli.     

Insensitivity of 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase to glyphosate confers resistance to this herbicide in a strain of Aerobacter aerogenes

The broadspectrum herbicide glyphosate (N-[phosphonomethyl]glycine), an inhibitor of the shikimate pathway enzyme 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimic acid-3-phosphate (EPSP)-synthase, inhibits the growth of Aerobacter aerogenes and causes the excretion of shikimic acid-3-phosphate. A strain of A. aerogenes, resistant to inhibition of growth by glyphosate, was isolated and found to have a glyphosate-insensitive EPSP-synthase and to no longer excrete shikimic acid-3-phosphate in the presence of glyphosate. Partial identity of EPSP-synthases from the glyphosate-sensitive and-resistant A. aerogenes strains was demonstrated by immunological procedures.Abbreviation EPSP-synthase 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase (EC 2.5.1.19; 3-phosphoshikimate 1-carboxyvinyltransferase)     

N－（膦羧甲基）α－甘氨酸的合成与应用

叙述了Ｎ－（膦羧甲基）α－甘氨酸的化学合成及其在除草剂方面的应用。该化合物有五条合成路线：曼尼斯反应、加成反应、取代反应、氧化还原反应和其他反应。其中曼尼斯反应较简便,可由甘氨酸、甲醛和亚磷酸酯一步合成标题化合物。Ｎ－（膦羧甲基）α－甘氨酸是一种高效广谱内吸传导型叶片喷药除草剂,它能有效地控制世界上危害最大的７８种恶性杂草中的７６种,还能“斩草除根”。除草机理为竞争性抑制５－烯醇丙酮莽草酸－３－磷酸合成酶（ＥＰＳＰａｓｅ）。     

除草剂草甘膦对萼花臂尾轮虫生活史特征的影响

采用生命表实验方法研究了不同浓度(0.10、0.50、3.00、5.50、8.00和10.50mg·L^-1)的除草剂草甘膦对萼花臂尾轮虫生活史特征的影响.结果表明,草甘膦对轮虫的胚胎发育时间、幼体阶段历期、生殖期历期、平均寿命、净生殖率和种群内禀增长率均有显著影响.与对照组相比,当草甘膦浓度为3.00和8.00mg·L^-1时,轮虫胚胎发育时间显著延长;达3.00mg·L^-1时,轮虫的幼体阶段历期开始显著延长;达8.00和0.50mg·L^-1时,轮虫净生殖率和种群内禀增长率分别开始显著降低.在各参数中,种群内禀增长率是较敏感的指标,可用于监测草甘膦对萼花臂尾轮虫生活史特征的影响.     

Bacillus aryabhattai FACU: A promising bacterial strain capable of manipulate the glyphosate herbicide residues

Glyphosate is a commonly used organophosphate herbicide that has an adverse impact on humans, mammals and soil microbial ecosystems. The redundant utilize of glyphosate to control weed growth cause the pollution of the soil environment by this chemical. The discharge of glyphosate in the agricultural drainage can also cause serious environmental damage and water pollution problems. Therefore, it is important to develop methods for enhancing glyphosate degradation in the soil through bioremediation. In this study, thirty bacterial isolates were selected from an agro-industrial zone located in Sadat City of Monufia Governorate, Egypt. The isolates were able to grow in LB medium supplemented with 7.2 mg/ml glyphosate. Ten isolates only had the ability to grow in a medium containing different concentrations of glyphosate (50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 mg/ml). The FACU3 bacterial isolate showed the highest CFU in the different concentrations of glyphosate. The FACU3 isolate was Gram-positive, spore-forming and rod-shape bacteria. Based on API 50 CHB/E medium kit, biochemical properties and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the FACU3 isolate was identified as Bacillus aryabhattai. Different bioinformatics tools, including multiple sequence alignment (MSA), basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) and primer alignment, were used to design specific primers for goxB gene amplification and isolation. The goxB gene encodes FAD-dependent glyphosate oxidase enzyme that responsible for biodegradation process. The selected primers were successfully used to amplify the goxB gene from Bacillus aryabhattai FACU3. The results indicated that the Bacillus aryabhattai FACU3 can be utilized in glyphosate-contaminated environments for bioremediation. According to our knowledge, this is the first time to isolate of FAD-dependent glyphosate oxidase (goxB) gene from Bacillus aryabhattai.     

Glyphosate affects micro-organisms in rhizospheres of glyphosate-resistant soybeans

Aims: Glyphosate‐resistant (GR) soybean production increases each year because of the efficacy of glyphosate for weed management. A new or ‘second’ generation of GR soybean (GR2) is now commercially available for farmers that is being promoted as higher yielding relative to the previous, ‘first generation’ (GR1) cultivars. Recent reports show that glyphosate affects the biology and ecology of rhizosphere micro‐organisms in GR soybean that affect yield. The objective of this research was to evaluate the microbiological interactions in the rhizospheres of GR2 and GR1 soybean and the performance of the cultivars with different rates of glyphosate applied at different growth stages. Methods and Results: A greenhouse study was conducted using GR1 and GR2 soybean cultivars grown in a silt loam soil. Glyphosate was applied at V2, V4 and V6 growth stages at three rates. Plants harvested at R1 growth stage had high root colonization by Fusarium spp.; reduced rhizosphere fluorescent pseudomonads, Mn‐reducing bacteria, and indoleacetic acid–producing rhizobacteria; and reduced shoot and root biomass. Conclusions: Glyphosate applied to GR soybean, regardless of cultivar, negatively impacts the complex interactions of microbial groups, biochemical activity and root growth that can have subsequent detrimental effects on plant growth and productivity. Significance and Impact of the Study: The information presented here will be crucial in developing strategies to overcome the potential detrimental effects of glyphosate in GR cropping systems.     

草甘膦胁迫对中华大蟾蜍（Bufo gargarizans）神经冲动产生和传导的影响

应用电生理方法研究了除草剂草甘膦对中华大蟾蜍（Bufo gargarizans Cantor）坐骨神经干冲动产生和传导的影响。用不同浓度的草甘膦溶液对中华大蟾蜍进行胁迫处理,草甘膦有效成分经由皮肤进入蟾蜍体内而作用于神经系统,利用生物信号采集处理系统测定草甘膦胁迫下中华大蟾蜍离体坐骨神经干的应激反应时间、动作电位幅度和冲动传导速度,结果表明：随着草甘膦溶液浓度的升高,中华大蟾蜍坐骨神经干接受刺激后产生冲动所需的时间逐渐延长,动作电位峰值降低,神经冲动传导速度亦逐渐减慢。草甘膦施用后,中华大蟾蜍7d内的平均应激反应时间与草甘膦浓度呈正相关,而动作电位幅度及传导速度均与草甘膦浓度呈负相关。草甘膦溶液浓度达到推荐农田使用浓度1.64~2.87ml/L时,各处理组蟾蜍的应激反应时间、动作电位幅度和冲动传导速度均与对照组差异极显著（P〈0.01）。同时,随着试验处理时间的延长,中华大蟾蜍神经干对刺激的反应变得更为迟钝,神经冲动的传导速度也进一步减慢。回归分析可知,中华大蟾蜍坐骨神经干的应激反应时间与草甘膦施用后天数呈正相关,而神经传导速度与药后天数呈负相关。由此可以说明,草甘膦胁迫条件下,中华大蟾蜍神经细胞对刺激反应的灵敏性降低,动作电位的产生及传导受到一定程度的抑制和阻碍。